It's As If I Ran My Finger Along That Polished Wall In The Dark
by Nosferatu's Cigarette Binge
Summary: Nothing is as it should be after Gwen discovers something piercing Owen's skin. Rated T for cursing, sexual themes and slight gore. Contains the whole Torchwood gang.
1. Skin

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim any rights to the characters contained within this story.  
**A/N.** Based on a dream. Written months later (on the last day of 2012) after watching the first episode of _Randall and Hopkirk (deceased)_ with Pulp's _my body may die_ still playing clearly in my head. Beautiful that.

The title is from E.M. Forster's _A Passage To India._

* * *

Gwen Cooper awoke so that she could be blinded by the sun.

"Oi, what have you got against curtains?" Gwen griped, squinting as she looked out from a make-shift tent of Owen Harper's purple bed sheets.

"Ah good, you're up. You have just enough time to get ready for your little movie date with Rhys," a cockney accent sang out from the distance.

"Oh my God!" Gwen yelped. "What time is it?"

"One-thirty," Owen said, entering the room with a package of biscuits.

"I barely remember falling asleep..." she trailed off. "I wasn't that tired when we first got here."

"Well, I'm sure your exhaustion has something to do with the fact that I shagged you within an inch of your life last night and this afternoon."

Gwen scoffed in disgust, playfully smacking Owen's head as he sat at the edge of the bed. He hadn't even bothered to dress yet.

"You want something to eat before you leave?" Owen yawned, throwing her Teddy shaped biscuits before heading to his closet.

"No. Rhys said something about dinner afterwards."

Owen's reply was unintelligible as he scratched beneath his ribs.

"You won't guess which film Rhys wants us to see... " Gwen waited for Owen to take a stab but he acted as though he hadn't heard her, so she unhappily answered her own question, "_Happy Feet."_

_"_Ah, and in exactly what universe would that be hard to believe?" Owen replied snidely. "I mean, given what you've told me about his taste."

Gwen ignored him and continued to talk of her plans for the evening, which, Owen, of course, didn't hear. He was too busy thinking of something else.

"What's wrong?" Gwen finally asked, noticing his mind was elsewhere.

"Donno, this spot is really bothering me." His brow furrowed as he strained to look under his arm and between his ribs, pointing as he spoke.

"Let me have a look," Gwen offered, leaning forward to examine the affliction. "Probably nothing if you're like Rhys, just a little rash or something." With her face inches from his ribs she saw something suddenly pierce his flesh. It was pointed, white, and appeared to be bone. "Oh my God!" she said, backing away. Owen screamed as she'd never heard him scream before. Shaking slightly, she picked her clothes from the floor and threw herself into them. She and Rhys would have to postpone seeing _Happy Feet_.


	2. Suburban Relapse

Fuming in the passenger seat, Owen cursed the passing cars, cursed Gwen's taste in music, cursed everything within sight as his predicament worsened. The object piercing his skin had lengthened and caused a fissure to appear in his milky-white flesh, exposing the fragile workings inside, and acting in shocking contrast to the ruby blood flowing freely from his wound and down his side; soaking his half-on shirt and seeping into the car seat. How Gwen was going to explain the stain to Rhys she didn't know. Oh Lord, Rhys. She was going to have to call and cancel again. He would have a fit. Good and proper.

Her phone began to vibrate just as she caught sight of the Millenium Centre. As she raised the screen, she saw Rhys's number read out as the incoming call. She would leave it unanswered for now, she needed only one crisis at a time. She could always text him in a few minutes and tell him to watch the dancing penguins on his own. He was a big boy, after all.

* * *

Gwen continued to steady Owen as he painfully hobbled past the manic sliding doors of the Hub. Damn things.

"Jack, Tosh, Ianto, help me. Something's wrong with Owen!" she shouted once inside.

"What's happened?!" Toshiko was first to voice her concern.

"I don't know. Something's burst through his skin."

Within minutes Ianto and Jack rushed from one of the backrooms to meet their injured cohort.

"Lay him on the medical table. We'll have a look," Jack instructed, pulling his left suspender up over his shoulder.

Anxious, Tosh stood out-of-the-way as Gwen and Jack aided Owen's walk down the stairs. He let out a low growl of pain after only two steps. "Can't I just lay on the sofa?"

"Yeah, sure. We can run some of the scans from here."

"Good." Owen stifled another yell as he lowered his body. "What have you been up to?" Jack questioned, almost suggestively, as he lifted Owen's shirt.

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked, thinking Jack's suggestive question was directed at her.

"Just wonder what sort of life form or virus is to blame this time," Jack answered nonchalantly.

"How did you discover Owen's condition?" Tosh asked, acknowledging the guilt in Gwen's tone.

"Uh, found him in his car all hunched over..." She answered, unconvincingly.

"Ianto, would you hand me the bottle of that new antiseptic we got in last week?" Jack wasn't paying any attention.

"Yes sir." He rushed off.

"Have any clue as to what the bloody hell is going on Jack?" Owen asked, out of breath.

"It's not good news from what the scans are telling me."

"Yeah, no shit. You need a scan to tell you that?"

"Your skeleton appears to be mutating." Tosh read the computer screen, evidently frightened.

"What? Owen asked, his tone almost comical.

"There has to be something we can do to stop it, right?" asked Gwen.

"Yeah, but I'm afraid it's not going to be easy," Jack answered.


	3. The sacred and profane

**A/N **Advance apologies to those of you who will find offense in the cause of Owen's ailment.  
Owen's dream was mine last night. I thought it could be a foreshadowing of his placement as king of the Weevils.

* * *

_He proceeded toward the seer a__s a rite of passage_. The girl before him had been given good news: her business would prosper, she would bear healthy children and her union would be joyous until death. Hoping for similar news, he cast his eyes on the iron maiden before him. He soon grew sickly as he was drawn to the inhumanly blue irises gazing from behind the small holes in the mask. The being within stared at length until it began to yell: "You are a devil!" repeatedly in contempt.

Owen Harper's eyes shot open as he was forced awake by the 'music' blasting over the Torchwood sound system. Ianto Jones was doing a little early morning tidying up.

"Sucking too hard on your lollipop,' Ianto gently sang along to a CD as he swept.

"Shut that off for Christ's sakes!" Owen moaned from the sofa.

His plea fell on deaf ears. Ianto continued to muck about until Captain Jack sauntered into the main room with the air of a model on the catwalk. Taking Ianto's hand, he danced a few steps before breaking away to meet Owen on the sofa.  
Seeing him for the first time that day, Jack didn't acknowledge the fact that several more shards had pierced through Owen's skin. He was drugged and mostly out of pain, it was unnecessary to call attention to something that would only cause more upset.

"You know, they say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery but I would appreciate it if you left the non-human life forms to me. At least I know when to say no," Jack said in a raised voice so that he could be heard over the music. He placed one foot on the edge of the sofa and draped his folded arms over his heightened knee.

"What are you on about now?"

"Well, your tests came back positive for olicantiecepalmantious... which is just a long word for a really nasty STD."

"STD?"

"Oooh yeah. And it's a big one. Very nasty."

"You gotta be kidding me."

"Nope. You only wish I was." With his arms still crossed, Jack lowered his leg and happily swayed his hips from side to side in time to the music.

"You're enjoying this?"

"Nah, I'm just in a good mood."

_"Mama told me what I should know, too much candy gonna rot your soul,"_ Ianto sang from medical room. Jack pointed with his thumb to Ianto -who was still out of sight- and smirked. "He's forgotten that you're here, wouldn't be playing MIKA otherwise."

"Just get out of here. I want to get some more sleep if I can," Owen mumbled as he placed his head back on his pillow.

"But you haven't heard everything yet."

"Oh joy. What other fantastic news do you have?"

"If we don't get this out of your system within 38 hours it will take over. It will rip through your skin; killing you to leave only what will appear to be a massive clump of twisted... bony roots. I've seen it before. It's not pretty."

"And where exactly have you seen this?"

"Ninipia Prime. You didn't think this was a human STD did you, Owen?" Jack chuckled. "Now, do you think you could make a list all the people you've had sex with in the past 12 months?"

"Oh God," Owen looked to the ceiling, thinking it was a joke.

"We need to run background checks to find out who gave you this little gift. Whoever did is more than likely not supposed to be here."


	4. Unravel

Patches of dried blood rimmed the edges of the wounds situated on Owen's vertebrae, thoracic cage and various other bones. The puncture from the day before had grown tortuously into separate tiers, spilled and coiled down his back in a long, thick branch that was quickly molding to the outline of his body, but splitting at the edges like lace or the webbed labyrinths of the sinus.

In his drug addled state he did little more then stare at the loose threads on the sofa and repeatedly curse himself. _If I wasn't so stupid... sleeping with anyone slightly attractive just to get my rocks off. Oh, Katie wouldn't even know me..._

Jack Harkness burst in the room, interrupting his thoughts.

"So, do you have the list ready?" He asked, taken slightly aback by how many shards had pierced Owen's skin since he'd last seen him.

"I included all the information I know," Owen said rather airily. Jack wondered about him for a second until he remembered the amount of drugs flowing through his system.

Jack grabbed the list and, after reading it in a matter of seconds, shot Owen a slight grin. "Now, come on Owen, you don't have to hold back. You're talking to me, remember?"

"There's only one name left off... it's - it's no one you have to worry about."

"Who, Gwen? We already know about her." After Owen gave a confused glance he added, "What? You guys aren't exactly subtle... Games of tag, shared popsicles, make-out sessions on your lunch breaks. Doesn't take a genius."

"Shared popsicles?" Owen repeated in disgust, placing his hand on his forehead as though he might break down.

"My lips are sealed," Jack said in earnest. "Here, I'll tell you what, to save you from any further embarrassment I'll check the names and get back to you... it shouldn't take long. There's only three."

"Hey, just because there's only three doesn't mean I slept with 'em only once."

Jack chuckled softly as he kept his eyes on the paper before him and waved Owen on. "Go back to sleep."

* * *

One hour later.

* * *

Captain Harkness called the three conscious members of Torchwood to his office.

"I've done a search on a few people who may be responsable for Owen's Illness," he said, pulling images up on the computer.

A photo of a dark-haired woman consumed the screen. "Henrietta Whately, 43, Part time nurse, single, no kids."

Next he pulled a photo of woman with strawberry blond hair, late 30s, medium build. "Emily Fleming, 34, waitress, single, again, no kids."

Another image came on-screen of a young man, brunette, moderately handsome. "Alex Huntley, 35, works at a petrol station. Single...Hmm, not bad, I have to commend Owen on that one."

"So what, are we going to spilt up and search for each one?" Gwen asked.

"Who's the main target?" Tosh queried.

"They all are. They're the same person... or rather Alien," Jack answered.

"A shape shifter?" questioned Tosh.

"Yep. Something like that. But, it shouldn't be too hard to take it down." Jack looked to Ianto and Gwen. "I'm going to need someone to stay here to watch over Owen."

"I'll do it," Tosh volunteered.

"Great. Thanks. O.K. Ianto, Gwen, are you ready?"

They both nodded.

"Then let us hunt some Alien."


	5. Blue

Ianto, Jack, and Gwen pulled into a parking area just outside a small neighborhood. The first two leads had, unfortunately, turned out to be dead ends. They feared this final stop would be the same.

Gwen was the first to spot the address they desired and turning, first to Jack then to Ianto, seeking their approval, she proceeded toward a small house, which looked straight out of the 1940s. As she knocked, Jack and Ianto made their way to the back of the house to make sure that whoever might be inside wouldn't be able to escape.

"Jack, no one's coming to the door," Gwen whispered into her headpiece.

"Keep trying, I can hear someone inside," he replied, "or at least some music."

Gwen tried knocking again, more firmly this time, until a petite, dark-haired woman came to stand just inside the screen door. She said nothing, waiting for Gwen to speak.

"Oh, um, hello, I'm Gwen... Are you Henrietta Whately?"

"Yeah, that's me. What do you want?" she asked, a cigarette dangling between her fingers. "I've dinner to tend to, so please don't dawdle," she added in her rather high-pitched voice, crossing her arms.

"Sorry, won't be long. Just wondered if you know anything about a Owen Harper... here's his photo." Gwen unfolded a printed photograph of Owen she'd taken at a concert before he'd fallen ill. "He's my boyfriend and he's gone missi-" Gwen cut herself off as the small woman started to yell. "Get away from there you filthy slapper!"

"E-excuse me?"

"That damned cat's in the rubbish again," she said exiting the flat, pulling her jacket closer to her body as she hurriedly pushed past Gwen and walked toward the waste bin at the end of her drive. Gwen turned to face the woman again, only to see her sprinting down the street.

"Jack! Ianto! She's making a run for it!" Gwen said hurriedly, but the boys had already started after her; their jacket tails blazing in the wind.

"Right then." Gwen breathed in deeply before joining the race.

They followed Henrietta through the nearly vacant streets until she made a run for an indoor Farmers' Market. Jack, Ianto, and Gwen squeezed between stalls and customers until they reached a room in the back.

"Gwen follow me," Jack shouted over his shoulder, flying toward a corridor straight ahead. "Ianto, you go that way," he pointed to the opposite direction. "See ya soon," Ianto said before running off. "Yeah," Gwen smiled bleakly.

When Jack and Gwen entered the back room they saw a long hallway cluttered with destitute beings flooded in red light. A literal red-light district

"She went that way, Jack!" Gwen pointed to a door at the side.

"Ianto!" Jack yelled over his headpiece. "Get back here!"

The two followed her through another hallway, only this time they ran through halls of darkness.

"Just how big is this bloody place?" Gwen asked.

"I heard her! This way!" Jack said as he turned. "There, she just went through a door, come on." When he caught up, 'Henrietta' turned and was about to open another door when Ianto suddenly stepped through from the other side. Before she had time to act, he pressed his stun gun to her neck, paralyzing her.

Jack, sweat dripping from his brow, ran over to Ianto and hugged him. "Thank you," was all he could manage between breaths.

"No problem sir, just a matter of being at the right place at the right time."

Jack mock punched his belly**. **

**A/N Henrietta Whately should be imagined as actress Shirley Henderson.**


	6. Discard

Ianto Jones stood outside the Weevil cells watching as Owen's captive 'friend' messed about with the plate of food he had just given her. "Come on, I made the Sheperd's Pie with my own two hands, it's still fresh... Eat it won't you," Ianto pleaded, arms crossed as he faced her.

"It's not going to work Ianto," Jack said over the monitor. "Take it away so she can get good and hungry."

"Yes sir."

"You'll be sorry you didn't eat that later, missy. Ianto makes a mean Sheperd's Pie," Jack said before switching off the monitor.

Ianto sighed and left the room to go back to his coffee-making duties.

Jack, Gwen, and Tosh stood in the main computer room watching the pathetic display in the cell.

"So, Jack, what are you going to do? You can't just keep her locked up," Gwen said in a rather annoyed tone.

"Watch me."

"But she hasn't shown any violent tendencies. She probably took off because she thought we were police."

"We'll have her returned to her home planet. Don't worry. We're just going to keep her long enough to withdraw a natural antidote from her spine, but we have to get her excited beforehand."

"Excited?"

Jack, king of such excitement, looked into her eyes and smirked.

"Oh... " Gwen frowned realizing what he meant. "Wait, was Ianto trying to...?"

"No," Jack chuckled. "She really does need to eat. Besides, I know Ianto is a sexy beast but really, do you think I would send him in there before me?"

"Well, who... or what is going to be the bait?"

"Owen. He'll have to be presented to her."

"Why Owen?"

"She injected some of her DNA into him three different times in an attempt to create a mate. He, however, didn't pass the test... which is why he's mutating."

"How exactly did she inject him?"

"Sexually."

"Sexually?! When?"

Jack pulled on his lower lip and searched the ceiling with his eyes, delighting in it all. "Mmm, sometime within the last few months."

"Oh?!" Gwen accidentally let her anger show.

"Why?"

"No reason." She cleared her throat and smoothed down the front of her jeans. "So, em, is Owen going to have to go in the cell with her?"

"Yeah, well, that's the tricky part. He's really weak, but he'll have to be the one to extract the fluid. She won't allow any one else to get that close."

"Mmm," was Gwen's only comment.

"You know, it's too bad we can't have Owen on a poster campaigning for safe sex," Jack said, jokingly.

"Yeah." Gwen's voice was monotone. In feigned innocence she asked her next question. "Can he, I donno, pass this on to anyone?"

Jack nodded and crossed his arms. "Yeah, you see, if the first person the Alien mates with doesn't turn out to be the right one, the DNA can be passed on to whoever _they_ sleep with... making more potential mates - and killing a few people in the meantime." Jack chuckled. "I pity anyone unlucky enough to have slept with Owen. At least you know you're safe with a loyal fella like Rhys."

"Yeah. Rhys," Gwen trialed off.

* * *

Owen's skin was ashen, but his body was bloody mess otherwise as the branches escaped his torso. He limped past the Weevils, and stopped only when he in front of Henrietta Whately's cell.

"So you're the one responsible for making me feel like hell," he said, looking in at her as she lay on the floor. "I knew you were a bit spastic in bed, but never would've figured Alien."

"You weren't the best, but then I can't be picky when it comes to selecting mates," she replied. "Come, let me see you." She raised as he came to stand directly outside her cell. "I can smell my kind growing within you from here... It's too bad you couldn't accept what I gave you." She inhaled as a wicked grin crept over her face. "You're going to die, what would it hurt?"

"What- what wouldn't hurt? - oh, you gotta be kidding me. You want to do it now? I can hardly walk let alone -"

"I can make it happen."

"How? Are you going to heal me?"

"No silly, this final act would be enough to put you out of your misery. Think of it as a mercy killing. Just let me out of here, and we can-"

"No, let's do it here. I don't have the time to mess about," Owen interrupted.

"Here?" She asked then shrugged. "Fine. Let them watch."

Owen opened the door and was nearly knocked over when she forcefully kissed him, running her fingers over his spikes. Soon, an iridescent blue light poured from her, as if she were backlit, and she no longer stood before him as a human but a strange skeletal being. "This is how you could have been, if you had been a compatible mate."

"I'm sorry that couldn't happen."

"As am I."

Owen remembered he wasn't there to chat and began to kiss her again - to keep her distracted - and plunged the syringe into her back, extracting the fluid. She let out a high-pitched scream and reverted back to a Human form, a male this time, clawing at him and yelling.

"Jack! Let me out of here!" Owen shouted.

Jack, who was standing outside the door, ran in and let Owen escape.

"Alright, good job Dr. Harper. I think it's time for a little injection."

* * *

Later that week

* * *

"Rhys, come on, wake up. The alarm just went off," Gwen moaned as she woke.

"Oh lord, 7.00 already. Feels like I just went to sleep."

"Ah, stop fussing you baby," Gwen said, raising to start breakfast.

Rhys stepped out of bed, naked as usual, and scratched his side. "Make sure you put some of that new strawberry jam on me toast."

"Right," Gwen sighed as she turned to face him. "Rhys?" Her voice betrayed the horror she felt.

"What?! Why are you staring at me like that?!" He searched the area where Gwen's gaze was fixed. "Ow! Oh my God! What is that coming out me side?!"

Gwen hurriedly ran over and examined his side then reached for her mobile on the counter. "Hello, Jack, um, is Henrietta still keeping Janet company?"

**The End.**


End file.
